RE: raleigh nc to ohio amish country
If you want scenery, plan to travel up Rt 25 instead of I-75. It has some great scenery and it doesn't take much longer to get from Knoxville to Lexington. You will also get to go through the tunnel in Cumberland Gap. There is a nice campground there, but it has limited facilities. Only water/electric. It is beautiful, though.
RE: Modifying Lower Bunk for Baby
I have a 14 month old and a quad bunk camper. I purchased a double rail system from Walmart. I put the one rail on the bottom bunk and another on the top bunk and turn it down. The bottom bunk is totally enclosed, but the rails adjust in length, so if I need to get in there during the night, I just need to push on the rail from the side and it closes up. She's not strong enough to do it.
Also, I take the bottom cushion off of the dining seat and it fits perfectly in the floor for a pad - just in case.
Here's the address to the rails I purchased.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5983014
RE: How long does it take to set up your HTT?
We moved from a tent (too much to carry in the car/truck) to a pup (couldn't get to anything easily unless it was up) to a HTT (easier to load, but still a pain to open everything) to a TT. I guess in a few years, we will upgrade to a 5'er or more likely, a Class A.
We moved to the HTT because it was a real pain to have to open the pup to pull out the dirty clothes, whatever needed to go into the house. The HTT was great for that, but it would only sleep 6 really "close" persons. We now have 2 small children and the grandparents seemed to like to come along wherever we went, so we got a bigger camper (33' bunkhouse).
PROS
When we bought the HTT, we loved the fact that it was small, but "grew" to be a good size camper once you were where you were going. It could be packed with no raising of the roof or sliding the beds.
Weight is low - Towing of a HTT was easy and could be done with most any truck or larger 6 cyl vehicle.
It had it's own bathroom - granted, it wasn't much, but it had a pot and a shower.
Tent ends - you can open them up and you are out in the open air
Full kitchen with large ref, micro, stove top and sink
Most are smaller, so they fit in almost any campsite space anywhere.
CONS
Put out beds, attempt to make them up while sitting on them or go outside and make them up before enclosing them. If you are traveling, you have to do this each and every time.
Most HTT's don't have slide-outs and they give you soooo much room inside.
Tent ends (yeah, it appears both places) can cause the HTT to heat up really quickly or cool down really quickly, therefore, you must have some type of heat shield (popup gizmos)
That's all I can think of - I loved my HTT, but we just outgrew it.
Setup - i.e. levelling and hooking up water/electric, sewer, cable, etc. has to be done on any type of camper, so that isn't a pro or con and it's according to what type of site we are on, how long it takes. We (DH and myself, plus a 4 year old and a 13 mo old) can have our TT set up in less than 20 minutes and it took DH and I about 30 minutes on the HTT and about 45 minutes on the pup.
That's all I can think of
RE: Advice and Prayers Please!!!
We also have little ones, we have a 32 year old son, a 4 year old daughter and a 13 month old. We have been camping since our son was 2 and have continued through the little ones. Each has gone on a camping trip at 4 months (Thanksgiving each year, we go to Hunting Island, SC, about an 8 hour trip). Be sure to bring blankets that your little one uses at home, especially some toys, foods that she likes, some moveables (tricycle, stroller, etc.) We have a sound machine that we use at the house to block the sounds of the 4 year old and we take that camping along with the monitors so we can sit out by the campfire after we have put her/them to bed. Just go with the flow and let her get just dirty/nasty in the dirt, play like there's no tomorrow and have the time of your life with her, she will be grown before you know it.
RE: I let the wife drive home - pulling the fiver!
We went camping several years ago and the DH ended up in the emergency room and was "out of it" the entire trip and for a week or two after we got back home. I HAD to tow it back, good thing I usually drove and could break camp, hook up and tow the thing. If not, we would have been there for several weeks. If you are going to use it, you need to know how to setup, break it down, then drive it. One of you may be better at going forward, going backward, etc., but you should at least know how to do it.
RE: how many of you camp with children
We have two daughters, 4 and 13 months, plus we have a 32 year old son!!! Yeah, I know!!! We camped in tents and has a small TT when our son was small, then sold it when he got in high school - too much going on. When he left home, we purchased a pup, then upgraded to a hybrid, when the youngest/last one came along, we upgraded to a 33' TT with quad bunks (planning for later when they HAVE to take a friend along.
RE: Gulf Shores, AL in April-cg suggestions???
We went to Gulf Shores in July this year, we were there last year during spring break. We always stay at the state park, but we don't need cable, we just use our antenna and get about 15 stations, all the networks, plus a couple of weather channels. We drove through all the rest of the parks. Anchors Aweigh is nice and if I didn't stay at the SP, that is probably where we would stay. Luxury RV Park was not luxurious at all. They have a pool and cable, but the sites are TINY. We saw many, many campers that had their slides out and the slides were within several inches of the next campers awnings. Not for me!! The state park's sites are about 30-40' wide. Plenty of room between you and your neighbor. Also, the state park campground is within walking distance of the beach - a long walk, but is doable, especially when it's not hot.
Also, the Original Oyster House has great food, you may have to wait, but the wait is worth it.
RE: Hilton Head, SC
Just a thought, Camper Sue....you might want to head north from HHI to the Beaufort area. Lots of "Charleston-like" charm in the downtown residential area. Several really good restaurants - you will know them when you see them - they are usually crowded. Hunting Island is a few miles out of Beaufort and it is worth driving to and looking around. It will take about 45 minutes to get there.
RE: 1st trip with 6 mo old granddaughter - advice please???
We started taking both of our girls when they were 4 months old (both born in July, go camping at T'giving EVERY year). When our oldest was 4 months, we were in a pup. We bathed her in a big pot. When our youngest was 4 months, we bathed her in the same pot and used the kitchen sink in our hybrid. We will be going this year, thank goodness there is no 4 month old and we have a 33' bunkhouse with a bathtub!
The pot worked great and our oldest wanted to bathe in it last year. She fit, kinda.
We always had a pack-n-play, baby monitor, stroller, baby backpack/front pack, a milk crate for toys (we have special toys that stay in the camper) and lots of laughter. We have soooo much fun camping.
Our kids get to play with the pots and pans in the camper (the sound just bounces around and around).
RE: Zucchini Alfredo
For people that are trying to cut down on carbs, cut the zucchini in long, thin threads and cook for several minutes in the skillet. Those make the "noodles".
RE: Needed Easy Garlic Sauce Recipe
Don't know exactly what you are making, but I melt about 2 TBL butter in a pan, add 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped and cook on med heat for about 3 minutes, then add 1 can of chicken broth and raise temp. Bring to a slight boil, then add 1 1/2 TBL cornstarch mixed with 3-4 TBL tap water (be sure to mix well before adding to broth), stirring constantly with a whisk. It will begin to thicken, turn off heat and continue stirring for several more minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Use immediately.
I will also add onions to the garlic, and other herbs, according to what I am going to use with this.
RE: Waterfront Camping, Maine to SC, close to Atlantic Coast
I'll second Hunting Island SP - it seems to be a prerequisite that you MUST bring a dog to camp there. They are everywhere! You can take the dog to the beach, but it must be on a leash (6' max). If you walk "up the river", you might be able to let the dog run a bit as long as Ranger Jimmy isn't out riding his 4-wheeler.
RE: Gulf Shores Al.
We spent 2 weeks in June/July and stayed at Gulf Shores SP. LOVE IT!! Doesn't have a pool, but it is only $27/night and the others are in excess of $50/night. For $25/night, I can do LOTS of other stuff. I agree with the above, we drove through all the listed campgrounds and found Luxury RV to be WAAAAYYYYY to close. Many campers with slides were within inches of the next camper. Sorry, but I don't want to be that close to someone I don't know. Doc's did seem to be nice, older, but had more room around the campers. Just my opinion.
RE: Holiday Trav-L-Park Va. Beach
We were there this past weekend and were not camping, but drove around just to see about the park. It looked fabulous. The kids really liked the looks of it and wanted to stay the night. I will definitely be going back to camp.
RE: Bristol Race Camping
If you don't have reservations now, you probably won't get them....the place gets packed up pretty quickly. Are you planning to arrive early? I know the campers start showing up and getting in line the Friday prior to race week. You will see them on the side of the road waiting to get into the campgrounds. If you don't have any luck, just PM me and I may be able to suggest a few that are "out of the way" and maybe 45 minutes to an hour from the track.
RE: Planning meals for a group camping trip.
We also camp with friends (4 other couples, all the children of different and varied ages from newborns to young adults). We all fix our own breakfasts and lunches. If we happen to be with others at lunch and/or breakfast times, we share. Usually, we are doing our own things during the day. In the evening, each family group will take a night for dinners - their choice of menu and it can even be KFC or pizza and salad, if they want. If someone doesn't like the menu, they can eat a sandwich (you know, some people are picky eaters). It's according to how long we stay, but usually the last night for a long weekend or a middle, then last night is for leftovers. We have had some really strange combinations of food, but we have sure had a good time.
RE: Front Window Leak
I have an Rockwood 8317SS and one our way home from the Gulf, we hit rain while we were traveling and then when we got to the campground to spend the night, my pillow and the first 10 to 12 inches of the mattress was wet right under that same window. We haven't fixed it yet, but I was glad to see the question on here.
